Wire mattress.



PATENTED DEC. 26, 1905.

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Ail/)Medwarp 5E/v -UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WIRE MATTRESS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 26, 1905.

Application filed March 7, 1905. Serial No. 248.799.

To @ZZ whom, it may concern: l

Be it known that I, JAMES R. CARDWELL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in vWire Mattresses, of which the following is a full, clear, concise, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification.

My invention relates to wire mattresses, and has for its general object the provision of an improved mattress formed of wire wherein the strains imposed by a body upon the wire of the mattress are so distributed as to avoid centralization thereof upon the end rails of the mattress-frames, the mattress of my construction causing more strain toward the ends of the end rails than hitherto, and consequently reducing these strains at the central portions of the end rails. In this way the mattress is not liable to be bulged or bent downwardly7 to the same extent as hitherto, foi by means of my invention more wires of the mattress are brought into play in sustaining a weight, and as this weight is, as hitherto stated, sustained by the mattress of my invention more at the ends of the end rails than hitherto the objectionable bulging is reduced and a more even surface for the occupant of the bed is afforded. Moreover by reducing the strains at the central portions of the end rails these end rails are not so likely to be bulged inwardly, which feature enables me to use lighter end rails than those that were desirably used in previous constructions.

In the preferred embodiment of my invention, the wire of the mattress that I employ is a wavy or crimped wire stretched longitudinally upon the mattress-frame, the wires where they stretch across the middle zone of the mattress (which zone is preferably onethird of the length of the mattress in width) being preferably spaced equal distances apart, these wires where they cross the end zones of the mattress fanning away from the longitudinal central zone of the mattress toward the sides or longitudinal edges thereof, the extreme outer wires of the mattress, however, each desirably being in one straight line. Two sets of links are employed, located at the dividing-lines between the zones of the mattress that serve to maintain the portions of the wire in the middle zone substantially parallel and permitting the wire to fan in the manner above described. It is thus desirable to have the mattress subdivided into three zones, though I do not wish to be limited in all embodiments of my invention to this characteristic.

I will explain my invention more fully by reference to the accompanying drawings, showing the preferred embodiment thereof, in which- Y Figure l is a plan view. Fig. 2 is a side elevation.

Like parts are indicated by similar characters of reference throughout both figures.

The frame of the bed-bottom is preferably formed of longitudinal rails a a, united by side struts I), constituting the end rails of the frame, all of which elements are preferably formed of angle-iron, the end rails preferably projecting over the longitudinal rails, so as to rest upon longitudinal rails uniting the head and foot of the bed. The end rails are preferably disposed with the horizontal walls c c thereof projectinginwardly toward each other, while the vertical walls Zd thereof are at the extreme ends of the frame. These vertical walls are provided with recesses e e in their top marginal portions, the spaces between the recesses at the centers of the end rails being the great-A est, the distances between the recesses upon each side of the central recesses decreasing toward the longitudinal rails a c. The wire f, that is to form the yielding support or spring element of the mattress, is preferably, though not necessarily, a single piece, the ends of which are shown anchored to the frame` while the wire between these ends is bent into convolutions or loops, the bights whereof are engaged with the metal in the end rails between the recesses in said end rails that receive the wire. The wire is preferably made wavy or crimped, as indicated, whereby bulge's and depressions extending horizontally are formed therein. The horizontal depressions in the stretches of each loop or convolution are preferably approached while the bulges are separated.

W'here it is desired to subdivide the mattress into three zones, links g, desirably also made of wire, are extended across the mattress about a third of the distance from the contiguous end rail. These links unite or flexibly connect the side or longitudinal stretches of each loop or convolution, so as tofprevent undue separation thereof, while at the same time permitting sufficient flexibility, the links g of one row being preferably displaced with respect to the links of its com- IOO IIO

panion row, as indicated, so as properly to maintain the stretches of wire in line. The wire at both ends of the Zones of the mattress is preferably fanned, so that the spaces between the same diverge or spread as they approach the end rails. This divergence, however, of the space between the wires preferably does not continue entirely across the mattress, for the object of the invention will be secured by having the wires substantially parallel that are sufficiently near the longitudinal rails a, as indicated in Fig. 1. Through the agency of the links g and by the fan arrangement of the wires a weight imposed on either side of the mattress is partially supported by the wires of the other side. A weight imposed upon the centralportion of the mattress is not only supported by the wires of the central portion, but also by the diverging wires upon the sides of the central wires. The wire is preferably formed into its complete shape and preferably has its stretches united by the various links before it is mounted on the frame, and when thedirect mounting of the wire upon the end rails is employed one of said end rails is preferably not anchored to the side rails of the frame until after it has been engaged with the bights of the wire, whereby connection of the said wire may most readily be effected and the requisite tension imposed thereupon.

It will be seen that I have provided a wire mattress including in its construction longitudinal stretches of wire that are fanned at end portions of the mattress from the central portion toward the longitudinal sides of the mattress and are extended substantially parallel with the longitudinal sides of the mattress between the said end portions of the mattress, the divergence between adjacent stretches of wire being greater at the center of the mattress and decreasing toward the longitudinal sides thereof, some of the stretches of wire adjacent to each longitudinal side of the mattress having substantially parallel directions.

It is obvious that changes may readily be made in the device of my invention without departing from the spirit thereof, and I do not, therefore, wish to be limited to the precise construction shown, nor do I wish to be limited to the use that has been particularly specified for the invention; but,

Havingthns described my invention, Iclaim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patentl. A wire mattress including' in its construction longitudinal stretches of wavy or crimped wire that are fanned from the central portion toward the longitudinal sides of the mattress, and links uniting adjacent stretches of the wire.

2. A wire mattress including in its construction longitudinal stretches of wavy or crimped wire that are slanted with respect to the lonn gitudinal sides of the mattress, and links uniting adjacent stretches of the wire.

3. A wire mattress including in its construction longitudinal stretches of wavy or crimped wire that are fanned at end portions of the mattress from the central portion toward the longitudinal sides of the mattress and are extended substantially parallel with the longitudinal sides of the mattress between the said end portions of the mattress, and links uniting adjacent stretches of the wire.

4. A wire mattress including inits construction longitudinal stretches of wavy or crimped wire that are fan ned from the central portion toward the longitudinal sides of the mattress, the divergences between adjacent stretches of wire being greater at the center of the mattress and decreasing toward the longitudinal sides thereof, and links uniting adjacent stretches .of the wire.

5. A wire mattress including in its construction longitudinal stretches of wavy or crimped wire that are fanned at end portions of the mattress from the central portion toward the longitudinal sides of the mattress and are extended substantially parallel with the longitudinal sides of the mattress between the said end portions of the mattress, the divergences between adjacent stretches of wire being greater at the center of the mattress and decreasing toward the longitudinal sides thereof, and links uniting adjacent stretches of the wire.

6. A Wire mattress including in its construction longitudinal stretches of wavy or crimped wire that are fanned from the central portion toward the longitudinal sides of the mattress, the divergences between adjacent stretches of wire being greater at the center of the mattress and decreasing toward the longitudinal sides thereof, the stretches of wire adjacent to the longitudinal rails extending in substantially parallel directions, and links uniting adjacent stretches of the wire.

7. A wire mattressincluding in its construction longitudinal stretches of wavy or crimped wire that are fanned at end portions of the mattress from the central portion toward the longitudinal sides of the mattress and are extended substantially parallel with the longitudinal sides of the mattress between the said end portions of the mattress, the divergences between adjacent stretches of wire being greater at the center of the mattress and decreasing toward the longitudinal sides thereof, the stretches of wire adjacent to the longitudinal rails extending in substantially parallel directions, and links uniting adjacent stretches of the wire.

8. A wire mattress including in its construction longitudinal stretches of wavy or crimped wire that are fanned from the central portion toward the longitudinal sides of the mattress, the divergences between adjacent stretches of wire being greater at the center of the mattress and decreasing toward the longitudinal sides thereof, some of the stretches of Wire IOO IIO

adjacent to each longitudinal side of the mattress having substantially parallel directions and links uniting adjacent stretches of the wire.

9. A wire mattress including in its construction longitudinal stretches of wavy 0r crimped `wire that are tanned at end portions of the mattress from the central portion toward the longitudinal sides of the mattress and are eX- tended substantially1 parallel With the longitudinal sides of the mattress between the said end portions of the mattress. the divergences between adjacent stretches of wire being JAMES R. GARDWELL.

Witnesses:

G. L. CRAGG, LEON STRoH. 

